While I see what ya said... I have to disagree... sorta... Islam has their own... ethics... and they don't match ours... and there are other... forms... of such... the thing about ethics simply being IMHO just doesn't work... the reason has to do with the BASE used or what the ethics are founded opon... for said ethics... IMHO
Were there any non-Christians who took part in our nations founding, or am I missing something? Were the Holy Crusades "Ethical"? Did the Holy Roman Church create the term "Heretic" and then proceed to murder at will for ethical reasons? Is every Christian automatically ethically superior and therefore incapable of committing a crime? You see, the religious mind is convinced it is right, no matter the logic or evidence presented. This is why we have a separate section of the forum dedicated to the religious. You may ask your religious questions here all day long and rejoice in fine company without worrying about being called to account for things like "fact" and "reason". There's nothing wrong with being religious. The problem starts when we assume our religion ought to be forced onto other people. Religious freedom is as much about being free from religion as it is having the ability to freely worship. It should never be misinterpreted as being a requirement for Citizenship (or to attend schools, for instance).
Any private school you are going to be required to adhere to its by laws religious or not. No one is forcing any one to become a Christian, and for that matter one can't force some one else to become a Christian it's impossible. Hundreds if not thousands of people go through the motions, but never actually make the conversion in their heart . Some of the most effective conversions are done with a person on their own in desperation seeking God. I have coached people through prayer ,after they decided on their own to come to God , but I had very little influence on this decision . I know at least a hundred that assumed they were a Christian by any other means than repentance and humility and needing God's intervention . Their belief is based on assumptions not a relationship Jesus had intended. So the statement is false so far as ramming Christianity down any one's throat , it's simply not possible. However I have been threatened to accept atheism and other forms of theology or loose my job . Many different churches I've worked with have never turned away unbelievers for job positions, nor are those folk pushed to participate . I visit different churches through out the city I live ,just to take a spiritual temperature so to speak . No one challenges me and my thinking or get's excited because I happen to have a different point of view . The way I see it a man that's hungry will seek, and one that is not hungry moves on. God knows the decision he's made, it's not up to me. Personally "I" think this use of the word "forcing" Christianity, is spoken by those that know I their heart something is wrong in their life.
That's probably the best example of a red herring I've ever encountered in my life. How you jumped from the very obvious and prevalent existence of proselytizing to a person's own feelings assumed to be known by another over vast distances even though they've never met or spoken before, is simply staggering. I've seemed to have touched a nerve, and there's no need for Spidey senses with this one. Listen, no harm intended. There are numerous cases of Christians "forcing" their view onto others, so many I don't believe it's possible to count. I could, for example delve into history since there are quite a few goodies I could dig out from the catacombs of despair and madness. But, let's stick to the most obvious, if we can. I suppose it isn't too much of a stretch to bring up the topic of "God" being mandated in schools, or to the present situation including a lack thereof, and the current climate of contesting (but not 'forcing' because that would spoil the argument again) this latitude.
NO one I know can force Christianity , No Christians put a knife to your throat and beg for salvation. Christianity does not teach nor use these methods . your thinking of Muslim religion. There are no brownie points for leading some one to the Lord , mind you I said "lead" not force . if some one rejects the gospel it's on them . No one is chased down and bible bashed .it simply is not God's way. If person chooses not to believe even if he felt socially compelled to participate ,he's not a Christian . Choosing faith in Jesus Christ done in ernest and desperation to know and have his influence is something one must chose to on their own incentive . External prodding and superficial responding to that prodding does not accomplish any thing but frustration . So tell me how do lies effect your voting a candidate ? you lie they lie so what does it matter ? Unless of course truth matters . If truth matters then morality matters too. If truth and morality matter, which Christianity heavily judge one another by, what do you have against that ? On the other hand if your Muslim than lies don't matter ,Allah supports lies .fact.
You forget about the "Inquisition" because that is EXACTLY what the Inquisitors did.... Not just a Knife, but a Rack, Iron Maiden, Thumb Screws, and a bunch of other Torture, devices.... The Catholics were infamous for such things... Straight from the mouth of the THEN, POPE...
Don't confuse Christ with Christianity or Christians. Just the opposite in my experience. I am not a Muslim but know some and even call some friends, even a couple of Hindus and Jews. They've always been honest and helpful. They don't proselytize. They don't mind that I have pigs. Not a one of them have ever threatened me with anything. I've known a lot of so called Christians who have threatened me, not with a knife, a couple times with firearms, some of those were off duty cops mad that I wouldn't let them hunt on my farm, but mostly insisting that I will go to Hell for not adhering to their flavor of, "Christianity," or for not voting for their favorite political candidate. Mostly what they've done is lie and steal. They agree to do X work and then don't show up. I call and they say, oh something came up, I'll be there Tuesday. Then they don't show up. Then don't show up again, and again. Soon it becomes obvious that they never intended to and instead of saying they didn't want the work, they leave me hanging, waiting. It took 3 years to get anyone to show up to fix my barn roof. It took 2-3 months to replace a furnace. I didn't haggle over prices. I said they'd be paid in full when they were done and not before because every time I paid even a deposit they ran off with the money. I've never been able to get hay from the same person twice because as soon as they show up they start asking about where I go to church and then they get paid in full and promise to come back next year and never show and when they answer the phone promise, "Next Tuesday," and guess what, they never show. I've never had a Muslim do that. If they can't make it or are too busy to take on the work, they say that in the beginning and don't lie or waste my time. All the most evil people I've known claim to be Christians and are avid church goers. It's to the point that if I meet a new person and they bring up their religion in the first 3 sentences, I will not trust them because I've learned not to trust them. I'd rather work with someone who has a work ethic and a sense of honor than any particular religion. In my experience there's a Hell of a lot of people who use their religion as an excuse to lie, cheat and steal
Religions are just power groups that want to grow and get power.Prove ? The state to serve (the same) god ,but kill with a smile believers that are of one of the other groups. I always say judge a person on how he act.
I would rather have GOD in the Schools, and get these Childern who raise themselves, some quality leadership Roll Models, instead of the NEA Flunkies that we have now.. That is how you fix this issue.. but since that is a Pipe Dream at this Point, the only thing left is to Arm those capabile and willing die for their students, and kill to protect them...
I am not a practicing Christian, but was raised to believe in the lord. Occasionally we went to church. I believe Prayer in school would help some of our kids. I think it may give some common laws / rules to follow. Today , I don't believe prayer , or church is practiced or taught in schools today , but I've heard of the muslim faith being taught , or places set aside for their worship , but these places are taken away for the founding religion of our country. That I will never agree with. As far as being forced to enter into Christianity , this may have been the case many years ago , and is not the case , that I know of today . But the muslim faith is still a do or die type religion. They have not grown , or evolved from the teachings from thousands of years ago. These are just my opinions , and I am far from being experienced enough to argue any of my beliefs . But I do listen to other opinions and views , which helps to form my opinions and beliefs.
Ahem, I don't think the Catholic Church were the only ones into the torturing and execution of heretics, blasphemers and sundry infidels that clerics and their accomplices didn't like the smell of (other than the smokey barbecued aroma that god apparently likes so much). Reformation Leaders Tortured and Killed Dissidents! (CSTNews) <strong>Reformation Leaders Tortured and Killed Dissidents!</strong> Catholics and Protestants During the wars of the Reformation and Counter Reformation, I don't think that Christians of either flavour were especially precious about the human rights of their opponents...nor even their own backsliders and reprobates.
